Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 16
पशवो लकुटैर्हन्युर्यजमानं मृतं हताः । तस्माच्छुद्धैर्यवद्रव्यैर्यजमानः शुभः स्मृतः
paśavo lakuṭairhanyuryajamānaṃ mṛtaṃ hatāḥ | tasmācchuddhairyavadravyairyajamānaḥ śubhaḥ smṛtaḥ
লাঠি দিয়ে নিহত পশুরা যেন যজমানের মৃত্যুর পরে তাকে প্রতিহিংসা করে। তাই শুদ্ধ যব প্রভৃতি দ্রব্য দিয়ে যজ্ঞকারী যজমানকে শুভ বলা হয়েছে।
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating within Māheśvara-khaṇḍa context
Scene: A sacrificial enclosure with a bound animal and a club (lakuta) shown as a moral warning; in the next visual beat, the same animal appears as a spectral figure confronting the yajamāna after death; alongside, pure barley and clean vessels glow as the recommended alternative.
FAQs
Impure or harmful ritual rebounds upon the doer; purity of means and offerings is essential for auspicious merit.
No tīrtha is referenced; the verse emphasizes ethical purity within ritual practice.
Use śuddha (pure) dravya—explicitly yava (barley) and proper materials—so the yajña remains auspicious rather than karmically harmful.